Package cover



' April 13, 1943. J. 'r. \NRIGHT PACKAGE COVER Filed May 15, 1940 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 13, 1943 PACKAGE COVER John T. Wright, West Warren, Mass, assignor to The William E. Wright '& Sons Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 13, 1940, Serial No. 334,687 3' Claims. (01. zoo-.51)

This invention relates to a cover for a small package such, for instance as a hank or skein of ribbon; and has for one of its objects to provide a transparent self-sustaining cover for a package such as a hank of ribbon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover which will envelop the portions of the package which are most liable to become soiled and yet permit an entrance to the material itself when desired for handling the material, rather than relying upon the viewing of the material through the cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package cover of a single piece of sheet stock suitably folded into a permanent relation and which may be spread by its resiliency for reception of the materialinto the package as desired;

- Another object of the invention is to provide a package cover which will be of such a nature that it may be inexpensive to construct by the use of mechanical means such as machines. I

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of con struction, as will be more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the package;

' Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the cover alone;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified construction showing the ends of the package completely protected;

Fig. 6 is a section on line $6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the package shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view, fragmentally shown, of the sheet stock before folding of the cover illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and '7;

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are diagrammatic views, largely in section, illustrating the method of folding the material from the blanked-out form into the finished cover form as above indicated;

Fig. 12 is a fragmental side elevation similar to Fig. 3 but showing a. modified construction.

It is difilcult to provide protection for a package of a hank of ribbon consisting of lengths of 6, 12, 18, etc. feet. Such ribbon is usually packed in a box or container for several hanks and when the box is opened, each of the individual hanks is exposed, and where such hanks are lying around,

' dirt and dust accumulate upon the ribbon rendering a portion of its outer surface unfit for use. If each hank of ribbon is individually, completely wrapped, the cost is increased and one desiring to buy the ribbon cannot feel of the same as there is no portion exposed; thus, it is found impractical to completely wrap ribbon. And in order to overcome these difficulties, I have provided a transparent package from Celluloid, acetate, or like material folded up into a desired shape, and by means of heat, set in this desired shape. The Celluloid is sufficiently resilient and flexible so that the package may be spread apart for the reception of a hank of ribbon; and I have so shaped this package that even the ends of the ribbon may be protected from the accumulation of dirt or soil which might ordinarily occur, the package being sufi'lcien tly stiff to hold the ribbon in the desired shape without the necessity of a band or other wrapping; and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of the invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, I have illustrated in Fig. 4 a cover formed of sheet stock which we may assume is some Celluloid or acetate material which has some inherent stifiness and resilience and which has a top wall it! with side walls H extending therefrom and a bottom wall, designated generally IE, but consisting of sections l3, l3 folded inwardly from each side wall I l and leaving a slit I l between these sections I3, l3 so that this bottom wall may be spread by the flexing of the side walls I l at their juncture with the top wall it for the reception of a hank of ribbon i5 to locate the same within these walls. The top wall Ill has extensions l6 protruding beyond the side walls ll so as to better protect the face of the hank of ribbon adjacent the folded end I! thereof. Any sort of printing matter, as I8, may be placed upon the top wall for correctly designating the pack-age of ribbon which is enclosed.

A Celluloid, acetate, or like material is transparent and yet is of such a stiiT nature that when pre-formed, such as under the action of heat, into the shape illustrated in Fig. 4, this will be the normal shape of the covering and the covering will always tend to return to this shape even though sprung therefrom due to its inherent resilience.

In Figs. 5, 6, and '7, a little different shaped covering is provided. Here there is a top wall 20, side walls 2|, 2| folded from the top wall, a bottom wall 22 folded from the side wall 2| and a. second or overlapping side wall 2!" folded up wardly from the bottom wall 22. These two side walls 2| and 2|" overlap throughout their width as illustrated in Fig. 6. The top wall 20 is provided with extensions 24 from either end thereof which are of a length to completely extend about the fold I! of the package and tuck into the bottom wall 22. I

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated the general lay-out of the sheet stock out out, but prior to bending into the set formation which the cover is to assume.

A sheet of stock such as illustrated in Fig. 8 after being cut is bent in heated dies, such as illustrated in Figs. 9, l0, and 11; the stock being designated generally 25 is placed on a plate 26 having a recess 21' therein. A plunger 28 descends, causes the stock to assume the formation illustrated in Fig. 10 with one side wall 28 and the top and bottom walls 29 and 30 with the-pposite side wall extending upwardly therefrom. Thereafter, slides 3|, 32 move inwardly, one after the other, to bend the upstanding stock into the overlapped relation as illustrated in Fig. 6.

Instead of making the cover as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tab I6 as shown in Fig. 12" may be of an extent considerably longer than shown at it in Figs. 1 to 4', and at the time of placing the hank of ribbon within the cover by a suitable heated former I may curve the extension l6 about the hank of ribbon into the set position illustrated in Fig. 12 where it will embrace the entire bend of the various layers of the ribbon hank and when set will by its own inherent stiffness remain in this position without need of being tucked into the body such as shown in Figs. to 8 where the cover is of thinner mate,- rial.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when acetate material is set by heat in dies such as described in Figs. 9, l0, and 11, that the bent right angularly extending wall of the cover will remain fixed in these right angular positions to which they have been set by heat and the entire cover will remain in the position in which it has been set by these dies so as to itself act as a banding about the hank of ribbon. Thus, no different or additional banding will be required, but this complete cover will serve to hold the package in its desired shape without further binding or holding requirement.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible.

I claim:

1. A cover for a hank of ribbon or like material comprising stiff sheet stock of resilient transparent material permanently set to provide right.

angularly disposed enclosing walls and provided with a longitudinally extending split for spreading of the walls for reception of a hank of ribbon or like material therein, said sheet stock being sufficiently stiff and resilient to provide for the self return of the walls to closed position upon the release thereof from spread position, said cover being of a length less than that of said hank providing for a substantial portion of said hank to extend beyond each end of the body portion of said cover, one of the walls of said cover having strips extending beyond the opposite ends of the other walls each of the strips being of a length to wrap about the ends of the hank of ribbon.

2; A cover for a hank of ribbon or like material comprising sheet stock of resilient transparent material, permanently set to provide right angularly disposed enclosing walls and provided with a longitudinally extending split for spreading of the walls for reception of a hank of ribbon or like material therein, said sheet stock being:

sufficiently stiif and resilient to provide for the self return of the walls to closed position upon the release thereof from spread position, said cover being of a length less than that of said hank providing for a substantial portion of said hank to extend beyond each end of the bodyportion of said cover, one of the walls having strips extending beyond the opposite ends of the walls to wrap about the end of the hank of ribbon, said strips being of a length to tuck into the diametrically opposite wall of the cover.

3. A package comprising a hank of folded ribbon and a cover therefor, said cover comprising inherently stiif, transparent sheet stock of a flexible resilient nature such as Celluloid permanently set to provide right angularly' disposed top, side and bottom enclosing walls and provided with a longitudinally extending split in the bottom wall for spreading of the bottom and side walls for reception of a hank of ribbon or like material therein, said ribbon lying fiat on the bottom wall, said sheet stock being sufficiently;

JOHN T. WRIGHT. 

